Vol 4 Chapter 1 (2/2)

Marida turned her face away, seeher realized that he seemed to have touched on a topic he should not have mentioned, and immediately shut up

“Soon, we’ll reach our home All the decisions will be made there Rest whenever you can”

“Home…?”

It was not a base or a headquarters, and the unfaher to frown Marida touched the strands of hair beside her collar and gently used her chin to point at the other side of the

The Moon, Earth and Sun could not be seen in this bright space that was radiating with silver stars At a point, a black shadow shaped like a boas there It was hard to tell the scale of it, but it did not look like a ion If the lights were space navigation lights for the shi+ps, the size of it should be bigger than a space colony Perhaps it was a ht his face as close to the smallas possible as he stared at this oddly-shaped rock The sun in the distance shone on the tip of the bow-shaped rock, giving the vibe that it was at least the size of an asteroid Multiple such asteroids were linked to each other, fore planet—

“That’s “Palau”, our home”

Marida said Banagher htly as he did not turn his stare away from the unknoorld in front of hihts, and the asteroid called “Palau” showed its silent face in the ht

Part 4

The base, a space colony, was built as part of the space e number of resources The nuh ultimately, and cost-wise, it would not be effective to move materials from the atmosphere Thus, the people in the old century turned their eyes on the Moon They built a lasting resource extraction base on the Moon, and the next step was the Asteroid Belt that existed in the region between Mars and Jupiter, a field abundantly rich in resources

It was a hive of rocks that could not coravity of Jupiter near it In this belt, he floating asteroids there amounted to at least hundreds of thousands based on the observations in the old century, and it was said that there were millions of them The overall mass of these rocks were said to be 1/35 theminerals Of course, these asteroids were not so concentrated that they had to be explained on an encyclopedia, and they were all sporadically scattered ast the wide space However, it was not ile asteroid and send an excavation team from the Earth Celestial Sphere Also, once they knew that there was an asteroid that was suitable for ines on it and head back to Earth on their shuttle To humanity, which had welco to do

Ast them, the most famous was the s UC 0045, dubbed “Luna II” In the year 0060, it was made a military base called Luna Two One purpose was to act as the largest headquarters for the Federation Ar activities “Palau” was one of thesespace colonies as well This colony was so isolated that nobody other than the people involved in colony business would know of, but it had an extraordinary history It was said that soed in from the Old Century The added condition to themany small asteroids linked to each other, which accounted for its unique bow-shape

Si out froularly shaped rocks connected to each other tightly The 4 blocks that were too small to be called asteroids were connected by multiple shafts, and it would be hard to tell that they were not asteroids unless one looked fro satellite that was 30+k in diaery

As with anysatellite, the surface of the rocks had countless space gateways and ular block had two round cylinders of living areas, and each embedded on 6km wide caves on the rock surfaces There were approxi in the residential area that was e force, just like a space colony It see That was Maridas’s explanation The shi+p Banagher was on—the Neo Zeon’ flagshi+p “Lewloola” entered “Palau” together with the “Garencieres” that was disguised as a trading shi+p

The shi+ps did not enter froap where the 4 blocks of rock were leaning and attached to each other Banagher understood that the structure was the inner hollow that was dug out, creating a ‘port’ that could not be seen from the outside However, this was all he could tell fro rock forht in front of the s, Banagher thought that they finally h, only to be taken out of the room The moment his view expressed, he felt that he saw several shi+ps docked in the enclosed conical-shaped space andaround, but Marida held onto his head, allowing hiher was accosted outside, took the standard precautionary checks, and stepped onto “Palau”

He had no chance to see the entire port He passed through the zero gravity block, moved to a structure that looked like a ter for them This was a similar kind of transportation as the “Subway” used in the space colony, but they were really ers, there were several men said to be crew of the “Garencieres” other than Marida They obviously showed a different vibe frola, but there was the feeling that these did not feel the Clothes makes the man , but there seemed to be exceptions to that rule Perhaps the vibe of not liking fancy outfits outweighed the rest here Either way, these people did have the vibe of being part of a yakuza

From the conversation, it seemed that Marida was a crew member of the “Garencieres” Why was she the only one on the “Rewloola” and taking care of her did not have time to think as the linear car moved, while the scenery outside the as filled with rocks After 5 e, and the excavation field that was dug into “Palau” appeared right in front of hi a field trip as he stuck his face on the wall, notat all

The excavation field seeular conical star, approxith This extraordinarily large space was surrounded by multiple network-like shafts It was said that these shafts were connected to the living quarters and the port and other places The final point of the excavation field however had an auto system—a Mass Driver It looked like it would shoot out the her deduced this from what he saw fro field reher of his old home

The factories that were near the walls of the cave did not seeEverything was covered in rust and dust, and there was the sense of a reddish-brown color fading in with the rocks There were a fewaround nuravity, but the models were so old it was scary Half of the solar panels of the artificial Sun could not be seen, and a ht was shown Only the term ‘emptiness’ could describe the current scene beside the abandoned quarry there

“It was not like this before About 50 years ago, when the building of colonies was ra off smoke It was said that people could not see the other level because of the s out…however, the rocks here were not of outstanding an here, there would be soed to soing up as e”

The one sitting beside him, Gilboa Sant, looked outside theas he said As a crewblack man who looked to be approximately 30 Also, he seemed to be a citizen native to this “Palau” At least, when he was Banagher’s age, this place was not called “Palau” When the colony committee decided to close this place down, an investor froht this star, and named it “Palau” after the place on Earth that was attacked Ever since then, “Palau” was designated as a special administrative zone under Side 6, and that investor safely took the role of superintendent In the old century ter a desolated island from a country He could call hier Gilboa explained to Banagher,

“In the past, the Republic of Zeon once had a space base called “Soloht? It seemed that this “Palau” was named because of the place that was attacked Both these names were na in ato do with that island Anyway, they’re just trying to being trendy”

Sied Zeon supporter He probably hoped that there would be special needs after the war as he continued to buythese resources to Neo Zeon The Side 6 that beca the as said to have some secret relations with the Republic of Zeon If the superintendent allowed, it was not impossible to hide from the Federation’s eyes at this place This was the case after the Second Neo Zeon War, when the governed the remnants of Zeon

We’ve now entered the phase of exter in this Zeonis to the entire satellite that was filled with resources and her’s dull mind was stimulated because of this, and it seemed to let him understand that the ‘relationshi+p’ between the Federation and Neo Zeon was not as what he iined, but he did not have the ti with the a look to tell hily looked into this bearded man’s stare

He was the her had been wondering, Those were the eyes alright He was the her in “Industrial 7” Heof which, that shi+p that ruinedwas the “Garencieres”

They were already i The man who chased after the stoay Audrey and sent Marida over was her looked over at Zinnerman, and sat down on the seat that was slanted at the front If these guys never cae swelled up in him as the fear that they controlled his fate exploded at the sa both emotions to form a vortex within hiher any only the sound of the linear car

Banagher sighed as he looked at Marida, as looking at the back of Zinnerman’s head as she sat on a seat opposite Those sapphire blue eyes were looking like she was being loyal to her superior, oozing with an odd sense of passion Her tense face was rather outstanding a around and relaxed

What kind of relationshi+p do they have? Banagher could not find words to ask, and had no courage to ask as his eyes escaped to theThere was a large quarry below the linear car, below the shafts on the walls—though it was a ravity environment They sped on, reached a fork soon after, turned towards a cave, and the car moved towards one of the many shafts

The quarry passed his eyes, and the narrow passage again surrounded the linear car For aMarida’s worried looking expression

Part 5

The group got off the linear car that reached its destination and got on the elevator leading to the residential area As he felt the unique feeling of his abdoher’s group to the gravity block of the “Palau”

The group did not head for the city located within the walls, but went through the lobby and head for another underground passage It looked to be a service route for work as they passed through uards As Zinnerher inadvertently stopped to look past the other side of the gate

The pillars supporting the roads had becoreen fabric with Arabian patterns hanging off thehts lit the red carpet that was laid all over the place Waiting at the end was the large archway-shaped doors were two soldiers dressed in khaki unifored feeling They were the saht in history textbooks The remnants of a defeated country, what looked like dead souls of soldiers that escaped a war her

Zinner a black shi+rt with gold laces The Zeon soldiers gave a salute, and swiftly opened the door The space acting as the staff roo Banagher to gasp a second ti inside should be around 2 levels tall, and the 4 round pillars had spiral shaped carvings There was an oil painting hanging above the electric heater that see purpose <--!didn’t make=”” this=”” up--=””>, and the curtains draped on both left and right sights gave a sole that was hard to tell if they were antiques The unevenness of the teeth-shaped ornahts cover had sis that showed the delicate skill of the craftsman All the furniture showed soht mistake to be nobility in a palace

Despite looking antique, it had no seher was overwhelmed by this scene that could only be described as Zeonism as he remained stunned The Vist family too had an antique feel, but it was different If the Vist fa based on luxury, this would give goosebu like it was meant to intimidate others It looked to be an expression of culture by the people sent froot over their self-defeat—as they lost the Republic, they could only live in the dusty-s depths of the caves, a sand habitat that was like a flash in the pan Banagher did not feel fear or uneasy, just weird as he stared at the anoht in front of him

Thata her Is he a huher had He could not detect any sense of lift fro his eyes, but also the vibe that he was artificially created He stared at the any ht really be part of the decorations in the rooood taste”, shocking him

“The superintendent of this “Palau” is a supporter of the old Zeon republic Our arrouped, but he built this command post It’s said that he replicated the interior decorations final base of the old republic army—A Baoa Qu”

It was hard to tell if it was the htly chilly voice The her, “You have to accept other people’s kind intentions honestly”

“Although it doesn’t actually fit my tastes, I think it is also one of the required qualities of a leader”

Before Banagher could respond, the stare went through the anti-glare filter and stared right at Zinnerh on you, Captain You do not have to acco this, Zinnerman answered, “Yes, Captain Full Frontal” His heavy voice echoed through the room

Full Frontal…Banagher stared back at this masked man as Zinnerman and Marida walked out of the rooher had an i ama when he hurriedly launched out The Red Coht, it’s the pilot of that redthe Republic era too used a mask to cover his face…

“What is it? Please take a seat”

The unexpectedly earnest voice caher’s hts He resisted the urge to get up as he sat on the sofa beside the heater A young soldier wearing a white servant uniform immediately closed in and poured red tea into the teacup on the table As the servant left without looking at hi at him

It was a young officer standing beside Frontal Despite wearing a bright green uniform, his sense of presence was covered by the her did not notice hi to keep a low profile as she stood beside Either way, the stare on Banagher was exceptionally tight when coher a little The servant walked out of the rooher felt that he was giving a very i stare from a corner

Right beside hi He put his ar theher Banagher could not tell where the stare was looking fro fearful, he wanted to knohat kind of people they were, and how they intended to deal with hi for them to talk, I’ll be devoured by the pressure under the her looked down at the floor once, wiped the sweat on his hands off his knees, and decided to ask, “Excuse me…”

“Are you thethat red mobile suit?”

The young officer quickly narrowed his eyes, and Frontal’s lips showed a smile

“What will you do if I say you were? Are you unable to have tea with an opponent you fought before? Young Banagher Links”

With a voice of ridicule, the observer’s stare cling onto hi probed, and reacted as his tre hand reached for the red tea and put it to his lips He could not taste the flavor or aroma, and even the heat “Good response” Frontal’s voice could be heard clearly

“However, you never considered the consequences This is the nature of a pilot”

Frontal casually got up and got closer to Banagher, whose stare was robbed by the lush blond hair while being distracted by the rose in a vase, the only decoration on the table Up till now, the red rose had been sed by the presence of the Red Cos, this was a blood-colored flower that asserted life…

“I’rateful for what you did for Her Highness Mineva This invitation ive me for this”

Frontal stood in front of Banagher and reached his right hand out, while Banagher hurriedly look back at him He was about to inadvertently respond to Frontal, only to clench his hand that was about to reach out No, I can’t let hi pain froht be rude to ask, but may I ask if that mask is really used for hide a wound?”

Frontal showed an unexpected expression on his lips as he put his hand The young officer over his shoulder gave a her looked up at the eyes under the mask

“If that’s not the case, I hope to see your face”

“You bastard…!” The young officer muttered as he stepped forward, but Frontal raised his hand to stop him

“It’s alright, Lieutenant Angelo Young Banagher is talking about some basic etiquette”

The young officer called Angelo stopped in his tracks The stare under the anti-glare filter stared back at Banagher, who took the stare froth in his nearly limp knees

“This ht say it can be considered a anda”

As he said this, the hands covered by the white gloves reached for the ht this way, Frontal simply removed the mask

The clear blue eyes first entered his eyes, and then, the old scars at the e that for a nice tension that those young people of Caucasian ethnicity would have The only thing outstanding was that the cheekbones did not reflect his age, but this e of Char Aznable in photos Basically, there were no actual signs of flaws, and Banagher sed the saliva after forgetting to do so as he faced this handso

“I forgot to take it off because no one would honestly say it out like you My apologies”

This time, Frontal put his ain This tiain The hand under the glove felt rather hard, causing Banagher to remember the first impression of a puppet he had in his s he had when he ended up caught in the other party’s pace Banagher decided to control hi further

“I heard you hness Mineva”

Frontal stepped back towards his table, and spoke, “However, as for how the mobile suit of the Vist Foundation…the “Unicorn” was handed to you, there’s still a lot I don’t understand That was a machine our army should receive, so why did Cardeas Vist choose you to carry the Laplace Box…”

“I said it before I don’t know any specifics in this”

Banagher supported his body that was questioned out of a sudden as he said while see the other party’s words Frontal put hisas he sat on the chair, “Is that so?”

“The Vist Foundation ed to maintain its prosperity and riches as they secretly kept the Box There ed easily for the Vist Foundation to break the negotiation with the Federation government The initial plan was messed up, but it’s hard to believe that Cardeas would hand the Box over to a random passer-by It’s natural to view you as someone related to the Foundation in someone, like for example…”

Frontal did not let go of the her inadvertently looked up, narrowed his eyes and continued, “Let’s say, you already were someone related to the Vist family…how about that?”

“Do I have a duty to answer?”

Banagher blurted out these words as his heart suddenly raced Sharp footsteps could be heard as the young officer called Lieutenant Angelo walked towards Banagher His hand suddenly reached for Bangher’s chest without warning

His expression showed no signs of the old poker face as he showed real killing intent In his old hoher often saw people with so such an expression out of a sudden as their faces overlapped with this young officer As he felt this icy feeling from the bottoelo”

The tense-looking brows forced out wrinkles as he finally let go of Banagher grudgingly His back was turned at Banagher, showing no signs of openings, and his footsteps obviously looked like he trained in this, but not enough to wipe off the first iround Frontal waited for Angelo to return behind him, and silently continued, “You don’t have a duty to answer”

“However, we still want inforhness Mineva that we’re asking you in such a gentle manner I hope you remember this”

It was an obviously threatening line, and one that could give a chill Banagher clenched his sweaty hands and answered, “That Mineva…Audrey once told me”

“She said that the Box reat war”

“Oh” Frontal , “If we consider what happened at “Industrial 7”, I would have the saue back

“She’s the Princess of Zeon, right? If Audrey argues against it, why are you…”

“Then, do you believe in the existence of the Laplace Box?”

This was a question Banagher had never thought of Frontal stared at the speechless Banagher as he gradually continued,

“Do you feel that no one had saw and validated the contents of the Box, whether it had the power to topple the Federation government?”

“Well…I don’t know But I think there’ll be soe or information that could cause the world’s balance to collapse”

“For example?”

“Like for example…how Zeon first let a space colony fall, or how they destroyed an asteroid and sent it to Earth to force it to freeze It’s nothing after hearing it, but ould have expected such things to happen? The invention of nukes, and the horrifying wars that happened in the old ages…and it’s the same for the developht beside us, yet no one noticed A little invention or discovery will allow the world’s balance to change slightly…

Banagher did think of saying this when he ith Audrey before this, but even he was shocked that he could express hiot up fro

“This isn’t so a tis, you should know that spacenoids were once part of the civilian abandonht?”

An unexpected line was tossed right back at Banagher, causing him to answer back with only silence Frontal left the office and walked with a stroll-like pace as he closed in on Banagher

“In the past, Zeon Deikun once said that only those people who came to space could head for innovation This ot used to its environ the leftover population to space and re itself basically toppled their standpoint That’s why they suppressed Zeonis it This is an example of what you say can cause the world to topple”

The boots let out a tapping sound on the floor as he got behind Banagher, as unable to turn behind

“In the end, Zeon was assassinated, and the Zabi family rose up froht back the Federation government’s suppression with force The ‘inventions’ ofwas the result of the power given to Zeon Republic to match the Federation Humanity lost half its population, but it could be seen as a deliberate reduction in population Gihren Zabi planned when he used racism to replace Zeonism

Everyone knew right now that Zeon was killed by the Zabi family’s treachery The Zeon Republic had such a crime, and after a year’s war, it fell defeated However, this helped the Federation’s call, causing the Earth Central Administration to expand every day The people who step into space would not be allowed back on Earth without the govern recognized, the authority of the leaders were still held by the Central governht to take part in politics when they could not elect the Senate Council During this tiain under the na from the war, and 2 billion residents lived on space produce and food In the end, the tens of billions of spacenoids ere forced to rate in order to let Earth recover naturally were still acco Earth”

Frontal got behind Banagher as he said while sticking close to his nick Banagher felt goosebu his body

“Our Neo Zeon do have believers in the Zabi family’s customs So a real Republic of Zeon However, their coe this twisted system To break the shackle of the Federation, to fulfill self-autonomy for spacenoids, we should—“

“BUT TERRORIST ATTACKS AREN’T TO GO!”

Banagher stopped the voice that was seeping through his pores as he yelled, “NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IT IS, IT’S NOT RIGHT TO ROB OTHER PEOPLE OF THEIR LIVES ONE-SIDEDLY NO ONE HAS THAT RIGHT!”

He remembered that none of Micott’s friends were left alive, not even a fingernail as they were turned into dust, and their ugly corpses caused Banagher to puke And then, there was thatblood He felt these sensations that were still on his palher told himself Humans should live like humans and die like humans I definitely can’t allow for other people to cut other people’s lives down like thatAs he repeated this in his heart, Frontal’s presence near the neck left, and asked another question to ht with a Gundam?”

“If allthe “Gundam” Because of you, we lost one of our precious soldiers”

“Because of you…?”

Banagher was pushed away by an invisible hand as he felt that he tripped and“It was a stray shot, but you’re the one who shot it This fact will not change” Frontal continued as he walked back to the table His back looked rather distorted, and Banagher felt that he was sliding into a bottomless abyss that opened below his feet as he ? When did it happen? I didn’t feel that I hit any eneer in a mindless manner

This me here, killed a person…

“Call Zinnerman in”

Frontal’s voice sounded rather distant Banagher sensed that Angelo was picking up the internal phone, but his body and mind could notbefore I’ot anxious, the ertips were becoher Links was collapsing, gradually beco else—

“You still have lots to learn I hope you’ll understand rateful if you can beco assistance to us”

Frontal said He picked up the ly at that moment, Zinner because they just saw Frontal’s true appearance? A slight electric wave passed through Banagher’s mind as he wanted to turn to the duo behind hi this ti for his shoulder, forcing hied to take a step

Banagher was dragged off like this as he was accosted to the archway-shaped doors Right before he was about to pass it, it stopped, and turned back to look at Frontal at the table He ignored Marida’s surprised stare as she stopped, and let out a hoarse voice, “Excuse me…”

“Are you Char Aznable?”

Zinner beside hielo shot a her for a moment, only to tu